In his wonderful book On Writing, Stephen King proves how important it is to submit your writing — over and over again, collecting rejection letters like trophies.

Kim Liao urges writers to “aim for 100 rejections a year,” and this simple imperative has inspired me and many of my writing friends to change our perspectives on submitting to publications and contests.

The odds are that, for every 100 rejections, there will be at least one acceptance to a publication, or one contest won.

“My rejections became tiny second-hand ticks on the slow-moving clock of my writing career, counting down to an acceptance, another revision, a long rest for the piece in the bottom of a drawer—or possibly, a return to the clay pit of my subconscious.”

– Kim Liao

When writers set a goal of 100 rejections, every rejection becomes a victory. It’s a beautiful self-manipulation that eases us into submitting our work, with the very probable expectation of (eventually) achieving our real, not-so-secret goal of having a submission accepted, be it for a publication or grant, a contest or writing residency.

What might happen if you set a goal of 100 rejections?

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